Interview Dated August 2005 Light Middleweight Chase "White Tiger" Shields Chase Shields is one of Houston's most popular boxers, attracting a following to his locally held bouts. He is currently undefeated, as the Texas Junior Middleweight Champion. Shields is coming off of a close call, a draw against Antonio Garcia of Mexico on the undercard of the Billy Willis fight at Texas Southern University in June. He is currently preparing for his next bout. HBS - How and when did you first get involved in boxing? CS - I liked it my whole life. My dad, I always heard about Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Foreman. So I've always liked that and football, you know, Earl Campbell, that's all I head about when I was little, so baseball of course. I was boxing when I was in high school about 15 for one summer. But I always played football. I got a scholarship to college. So I did that, I got into a fight with my coach my junior year in college. We got into it and I quit and told my dad I wanted to try boxing. HBS - Where'd you go to high school? CS - Nimitz, Aldine Nimitz. HBS - So you're from here in Houston. And what position did you play in football? CS - I played linebacker, like outside, and safety. In college I was about 195, around that weight so I was a little bit bulky. I had to kind of drop it. HBS - Where'd you go to college? CS - Texas Southern University, TSU. Third Ward. HBS - At what point did you decide to get serious about boxing? When you were a junior in college? CS - I'm still trying to get serious. (laughs). More serious. When I quit (football) I was going to try out for a few teams, you know, and I had a few tryouts, combine, I was going to go to for the RFL I think it was called. I went and fought Golden Gloves. I told my dad, we just went up to the gym one day. We called a local gym, it was Main Gym, and we went up there and he told me he wanted me to wait six months, a year before I fought, you know. Two months later I fought Golden Gloves and I won. Two knockouts so I thought I was everything. They were trying to tell me in two years you won't be able to go to the mall without people knowing you. You'll be world champ, this and that, it's been six, six and a half years now and I'm still digging you know. HBS - What is it that you enjoy about the sport? CS - I like fighting. I just need to dedicate myself more and, you know a better schedule. Work harder. That's all it's about you know. So I like to fight. I like to hit people I guess. (laughs) HBS - It's a good contact sport just like football. Makes sense for a linebacker to go into boxing.- So you have another job outside of the gym. CS - I did work for my uncle, for my cousin, he owns Stan's Ace Hardware in Spring. I worked there for about six years, six and a half since I played football in college. Now I help my dad at home with the dogs. We raise and show Saint Bernards and I just help him with whatever he needs help, you know. HBS - How would you describe your style. You're kind of a boxer but you're a puncher. CS - Yeah I get stuck on one or the other sometimes instead of doing both like I should. This last fight I should have went in went there and took him out but I felt a little weak. No excuses but I just didn't feel it going. I had him hurt a few times and just didn't have enough to finish him but I'll be able to do it this next time. HBS - He gave you a pretty good run for your money. He came at you pretty good. CS - I should have just went in and brawled him and I kind of stayed away at first. I don't know why. I hit him with some good shots. Nothing real good and didn't really catch him with nothing. I just felt weak. My arms were buckling kind of when I jabbed and that's never been the case. HBS - It's a strange sport because you're all alone out there, it's not a team sport and sometimes you walk in there, and you just never know how you're going to feel. Then your previous fight was against Donald Jenkins who you had fought before and I guess not a sterling performance for you. Tell us what happened there. CS - I should be 17-0 with 17 knockouts. In the gym I haven't trained hard enough to do it that way. None of the guys can take my punches by I found out when I turned pro you can't just throw one or two punches and knock somebody out so you've got to keep it up for some time. HBS - Jenkins was deceptive because he was like 4-19 but he was pretty tough. CS - He was a tough guy. He took some good shots but a good fighter, I don't even think as good as me, a good fighter less than me would have knocked him out just because they throw more punches. You don't have to hit very hard to knock somebody out, just throw a lot of punches. HBS - Tell us a little bit about your training and what you're working on now, what you think you need to do more of to step it up I suppose. CS - Working on staying down low. Try not to stand up straight. Get more power into it with the legs and you know just power through people. I can box if I need to, I've got a good jab, it's just, do what I have to do to win. HBS - You are the Texas Light Middleweight Champion. Tell us a little about how it felt to win that title. CS - Yeah it was great. I'm looking forward to some bigger ones. I just want to win every fight. I kind of messed up last fight. I hit a rock in the road but that's alright it wasn't a loss so I'll be ready to hurt him next time we fight. HBS - You're kind of a popular guy. You have a pretty good draw. What's that like perhaps having a little bit of celebrity? CS - It was a little better when I was knocking everybody out. (laughs) Now I'm just trying to stay away from, no partying, it's just the hard thing but I'll get it back. HBS - Maintaining that discipline is kind of tough, especially when you're young. CS - Yes sir, you think you own the world when you win a little Texas championship. (laughs) HBS - There's a couple of ways this could be looked at. You've been brought along real nice and slow but you haven't really fought anybody with a winning record actually. A lot of people are criticized for rushing into fighting guys that are too good too quick. So you've built up a nice record but from the flip side some people might say "When's he going to step up and how good is this guy really?" What are your thoughts on that? CS - I think it's about time. I only had 12 or 15 amateur fights but I knew how to fight my whole life so I think it's time for me to work hard and get ready to step up. I don't want to fight for no money my whole life. I want to be the man. HBS - What's in your immediate future. Do you have anything lined up? Are you looking toward anything in particular? CS - We're looking at taking on some North American titles, some different titles. But I've just got to get in there and get my knockouts back and I'll be okay. HBS - How are you going to approach your next fight differently from any of your previous fights.? CS - Try to keep my head clear and try not to talk on the phone as much. Everybody calls me, "Who are you fighting, are you going to win what are you going to do?" You know it's just a big game. I've just got to keep my head clear and go in there and just win. HBS - Are you doing any sparring yet? CS - I'll probably start sparring next week. The last fight I sparred like every day. I know I felt good in the fight and everything, you know before the fight started, but when the fight started I was just a little drawn. I don't know if it was from working too hard. When you're in good shape you don't really tell you're out of shape until you're in the fight. I couldn't tell before. I felt fine but I'll start sparring next week probably.